In the end, the maids ended up telling Puti their affiliation and names. Puti glared at them with frightening eyes before disappearing into the Emperor’s palace.
The maids exchanged glances among themselves and let out long sighs. Then one maid glared at the maid who had first spoken and said.
“This is because of you!”
Then the talkative maid asked back in surprise.
“What?”
This time another maid shot resentful looks at the talkative maid and said.
“That’s right. It’s because of you. I told you to stop earlier.”
When one or two did so, the others also began to blame the talkative maid one by one.
“What are you going to do?”
“I need to be buried in the imperial palace. I have to feed my family!”
“If I get fired because of you, I won’t just sit still.”
The talkative maid shook her head quickly and said.
“Wh-why is this my fault? You all talked along saying it was fun too.”
Then the maid who had first blamed her stomped her foot and said.
“Hmph, I shouldn’t have hung around with you.”
“Forget it. Let’s stop talking about this now. To survive in the imperial palace, you have to close your eyes, ears, and mouth.”
“Right.”
“Let’s go.”
The talkative maid left alone called out to them, full of anger.
“Hey!”
But the maids who left first didn’t look back.
***
Puti entered the palace huffing and puffing.
‘How many times is this already?’
The number of times Puti had directly witnessed servants gossiping like that had already exceeded double digits.
He’d firmly told them to be careful not to let rumors spread as much as possible, but rumors weren’t easily suppressed.
‘Why does he keep getting involved with that Holy Maiden!’
The servants guarding the Emperor’s palace stepped back while watching Puti’s mood. Then one knight quickly ran up to Puti.
“Are we allowed to be here?”
At the knight’s words, Puti glared and said.
“Yes, you know the rumors keep spreading, right? Please control the palace servants so the rumors don’t spread.”
As Puti was about to pass the knight, he turned around again and grabbed the knight, adding with a stiffly hardened face.
“Of course, you all mustn’t spread rumors either.”
Then the knight hesitated and answered.
“O-of course.”
“When His Majesty stabilizes, I’ll repay you all.”
At Puti’s words, the knight asked while watching Puti’s mood.
“Exactly when… will he stabilize…?”
Puti recalled the date Angel had mentioned. One week.
Three days had passed since Rosetta started crying like this, so at most four days remained. Puti said, pretending to be calm.
“I think he’ll be okay within four days.”
“…I really hope so.”
“Please tell the other knights it’ll be okay too. I’ll take responsibility.”
“Yes, understood.”
The reason the knight was so worried was because Rosetta didn’t like knights staying in the palace.
‘It’s similar to the reason I became his direct attendant.’
After the former knight captain was punished for acting presumptuously by giving advice to Rosetta, Rosetta eventually forbade all knights from entering his palace.
So despite its prestige, the Emperor’s palace was guarded not by knights but by soldiers. Soldiers who were mainly commoners who didn’t dare speak easily to Rosetta.
It didn’t match the Emperor’s status, but Rosetta was too adamant so there was no other way. Despite knowing all this, there was one reason Puti called the knights this time.
‘Servants fear nobles more than commoners.’
When the noble knights were in the Emperor’s palace, servants tended to be more tense. Puti had called the knights to the palace to prevent rumors from spreading.
As Puti let out a small sigh from fatigue, someone called him.
“Puti.”
When Puti looked at the servant who called him, he said.
“The mage-nim is looking for you.”
Puti let out another deep sigh.
“Haah. Okay.”
Half a day since Rosetta’s crying hadn’t stopped. After confirming that ridiculous rumors related to Angel were spreading, Puti urgently summoned the imperial mages.
And he had them use magic around Rosetta’s room so the crying sounds wouldn’t escape outside. The problem was that the divine power called ‘Dawn’ spread along with Rosetta’s emotions.
When that happened, the mages’ magic clashed with the power of Dawn, rapidly depleting the mages’ magical power.
Puti headed to where Rosetta’s room was. In front of it, imperial mages with exhausted faces were gathered.
Puti called one of the mages closest to him.
“Mage-nim!”
Aris, one of the imperial mages, looked at Puti with a face pale as a sheet.
“…You’ve come.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m not okay. Do we have to keep blocking it like this?”
He looked very tired, but Puti had no intention of sending them away.
They were imperial mages, so of course they had to work for the Emperor. What was important now wasn’t their fatigue but the rumors.
He thought he’d dealt with it fairly quickly, but the rumors kept spreading. Puti grabbed mage Aris’s hand and said.
“False rumors about His Majesty are spreading. We must block the sound from getting out.”
Aris turned away from Puti and said.
“But we feel like we’re going to die.”
Puti put more strength in his hand and said.
“You’re an imperial mage! You have to protect His Majesty.”
“Before protecting His Majesty, we’re going to die…”
Puti reached out, grabbed both of Aris’s cheeks, and said coercively.
“Just a little more please! Then I’m busy so I’ll be going.”
Puti quickly ran away. Behind him, Aris desperately called Puti, but Puti pretended not to notice and ignored them.
***
Not getting tired at all, after three days of continuous crying, Seoho finally picked up his phone. It was truly absurd to be worried because a ghost was crying too much.
‘But I can feel his voice getting hoarse in real time.’
He earnestly searched the internet and found the number of the shaman’s house he’d visited before. It was the number used for making appointments, so he didn’t know if he’d be connected to the shaman, but there was no other way.
He couldn’t leave the house when it was crying like that. Seoho hoped this matter could be resolved over the phone. After a moment of connection tone, someone answered the phone.
[Hello?]
Seoho carefully opened his mouth.
“Hello. I visited once before…”
Before Seoho could even finish speaking, a cold voice came from beyond the phone.
[I told you not to visit again.]
Only then did Seoho realize the person beyond this phone was the middle-aged woman he’d seen then. Seoho recalled the woman’s action of sprinkling salt and answered.
“I’m sorry. I was going to do that, but I have something to ask. I won’t visit. Can I just talk on the phone for a moment?”
After a long silence, the woman answered.
[…I’ll ask.]
“Thank you.”
He thought she wouldn’t convey his words at all, but that wasn’t the case. Should he be grateful for this?
As Seoho smiled bitterly, the shaman’s voice came from beyond the phone.
[What is it?]
Seoho quickly identified himself. He was anxious because he didn’t think the woman who was supposedly a famous shaman would remember him until now, but there was no other way.
“Hello. I’m…”
But the woman decisively cut off Seoho’s words and said.
[I know who you are. Haven’t you been dragged away yet?]
“Pardon?”
A deep sigh came from beyond the phone. After hearing several curses, the shaman soon said.
[Ha, what a mess. What’s this sound now?]
At the unexpected story, Seoho was startled. In fact, despite crying so loudly all this time, no complaint calls had come from any house.
He’d even asked the security office directly, but the only answer that came back was that no such complaints had been received.
But just now, the shaman spoke as if she could hear this crying sound before Seoho even said anything.
“Can you hear it?”
At Seoho’s question, the shaman answered irritably.
[How could I not hear it? It’s desperate. There really isn’t much time left now.]
So it seemed to be the case. Seoho asked awkwardly.
“Is that so?”
[Yes.]
Now that the end was here, he didn’t particularly feel anything. He just thought his intuition had been right.
Seoho hesitantly voiced the reason for today’s call.
“Um… it’s crying too much, so is there any way to make it stop?”
The shaman answered calmly.
[I don’t think it’ll stop until you’re dragged away.]
He didn’t know when he would die, but would it cry like that until then? He became more and more worried about the owner of the crying.
“It seems to be putting a huge burden on the throat…”
Instantly, an incredulous reaction came from beyond the phone.
[Are you stupid? Don’t tell me you’re worried about that right now?]
Seoho just smiled without saying anything. It was something he kept thinking about, but Seoho was aware that he himself wasn’t normal either. The shaman who let out a sigh said casually.
[You’ll live well even if you’re dragged away.]
“Pardon?”
[You’re so gentle you’re stupid. You’ll live well even if you’re dragged away.]
That was a bit funny. He’d felt it last time too, but she said things about dying in such a strange way. Probably if she spoke properly, it would burden her body.
Seoho said.
“Isn’t it a bit funny to say ‘live’ when I’m being dragged to the afterlife?”
[I can’t tell you more than this. As for the crying sound, you just have to endure it.]
Seoho looked at the wall again. The tears still flowed without rest and the sound continued as well.
